Cressi Killer or Riffe Spearfisher Deluxe

The Cressi is a good knife for the money, and not the end of the world if you lose it.
As for killing, don't know what size fish you have there but I think it would deal with fish up to, say 20lb. I have no idea about the Riffe, so can't help you there I'm afraid.

Regards,
Dave.

+1 for the Killer.

I bought a Cressi Killer ten years ago and still use it: the steel blade is thick and strong, always sharp, no rust, no failure of any kind and the sheath is quite practical.

True it has no black teflon coating, but where's the problem? I can't see what use black coatings are for on diveknives, and anyway they tend to tear off very easily.

As for it being a kill knife, it's indeed a relatively short compact blade, but I've dispatched fish up to 18 kilograms (40lbs) with it.

i dunno about the cressi knife, but the riffe knives are made by mac knives in italy...

google mac knives

I'll look into those knives. I bought a Kershaw dive knife and it rusted almost as soon as I got back to land to wash it. I am a Cressi fan but the Riffe is worth the look.

cressi killer and mini laser, both great dispatching knives!

Joes978 said:

The only issue may be sharpening due to the concave curve of the blade. Great knife though.

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I've got all sorts of Japanese wet stones and bits and pieces for my kitchen knives, but for the cressi a simple pull-through knife sharpener followed by a few strops on a leather belt will keep it as sharp as you'll ever need.

A good thing to do with the cressi is take it apart and pack the handle with vaseline, also a smear of vaseline on the blade after each use will keep it rust-free.

Dave.

A good thing to do with the cressi is take it apart and pack the handle with vaseline, also a smear of vaseline on the blade after each use will keep it rust-free.

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Good point that I forgot about. I usually shoot my hunting knives with WD-40 at the end of overy hunt and wash them well before using. The vaseline would do a better job of bonding during the off season.

I only have the Riffe.
For brain drilling the shape of the Riffe should be easier entry because I have knife with blade shape like the Cressi and it has more resistance when used on head drilling.

The side of the knife does not really kill the fish, it is the pointed edge and the slimmer it is at the front, the easier it will penetrate the hard head fishes and when one move the knife front/back like changing gear on a manual transmission car, then one wil do more damage with the sides of the knife.

I can cut the 500 lbs coated cable shooting line with the Riffe serrated edge. This is important for me.

Rust, yes Riffe knife seem to develop rust faster than most knifes I owned but I can understand that, to be very sharp the carbon content of the knife has to be higher and no choice but it will rust easier than say SS 316 or 304 blade , which can't retain sharpness too long. The 17-4 spear shaft is the same, it will rust. Take a strong magnet and if it will stick decently well to a blade, that blade has higher carbon content. Trade off must be made.

I have gone thru 10+ knifes ( mainly scuba diving knife though, including titanium blades ) and so far the Riffe been the most suitable for spearfishing and I like the long one, I think it is the deluxe ( not the short stubby one ) because of the size of fish I have to brain drill.

One important and simple item on the Riffe knife which is very important : is that strecth bungie on the handle. This act as double lock to secure the knife on the sheath and most importantly when trying to grab a big fish or a strong fish, you have two free hands. Let the bungie circle your wrist, it won't come off and when you managed to grab the fish properly, it is ready for head drilling. Its very useful that bungie thing. Mod the Cressi to have a bungie, that will be nice.

Looking at Cressi Killer, it share the same rubber clip like a Riffe at top of the sheath to secure the knife from falling. If one is to wear a knife on the hand/wrist, that rubber clip is not as strong as one would expect ( both Riffe and Cressi ) because the knife butt usually will face the fingers for ease of use. This way , most of the time the knife will not be aided by gravity during a dive, that rubber clip is the only thing keeping it in the sheath, this is where the bungie will help as second method of keeping the knife in place, even at the worst turbulence. Most of the time I do not even use the rubber clip but rely on the bungie alone when securing the knife to the sheath.

I don't oil or sharpen my knife, I sell cheap after every two years and get a new one.
That wonderful serrated edge of the Riffe knife that can cut 500 lbs coated cable its a b*tch to sharpen due to the complex shape, but it is worth to have and I am not patience when sharpening those serrated edges. If I can't cut cable, I loose more money , because it wont be just a shaft with slip-tip that has to be sacrificed, I have other gear at the very end of the cable shooting line meeting the swivel to the spectra reel line. So, if I have to cut cable shooting line, I must cut a few inches before its end. I don't use mono shooting line.

I think the Cressi can cut 500 lbs cables too if the blade material is suitable for the job.

IYA